Coffin-fastener



(No Model.)

L. L. FLETCHER. COPPIN FASTBNER.

N0. 604,786. Patented May 31,1898.

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'llirnn @trarne arnnrr @ricerca LEVI L. FLETCHER, OF MALTA, OHIO.

COFFINWIFASTEINEH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,786, dated May 31,1898. Application filed December 5, 1896. Serial No. 614,613. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may conceive:

Be it known that I, LEVI L. FLETCHER, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Malta, in the county of Morgan and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Panel or Face-Plate Catch for Ooilins, ofwhich the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a panel or faceplate catch for cofns; and ithas for its object to provide a catch of this character especiallydesigned for use in connection with that portion of a coffin-lidcarrying the faceplate.

The main and primary objects of the in vention are to construct thecatch of as few parts as possible, with no pivot-pins orpintles andhavin ga minimum number of rivets, whereby the catch may be manufacturedby stamping with ease and rapidity, while at the same time providing adurable and positively-operating form of catch. y

lVith these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the inventionV isV better understood, the same consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of the contiguous parts ofa coffin fitted, respectively, with the improved catch and theescutcheon-plate. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the complete catch.Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. i is a sectional viewon the line a 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of amodified form of the catch. Fig. G is a vertical sectional view of theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates themain baseplate of the catch, provided with screw-holes 2, whereby thesaine can be readily secured or fastened to that portion of thecoffin-lid designed to be secured by the catch, as clearly illustratedin Fig. l of the drawings, and in the present invention the base-plate 1has formed therein in addition to the screw-holes 2 a latch opening orslot 3 near one edge and a smaller fulcrum-opening 4., disposed in linewith and adjacent to the latQh-opening 3. In connection with thelatch-opening 3 of the base-plate 1 is employed a U-shaped latchguard 5,disposed at the under side of the plate 1 and formed of a strip ofmalleable metal folded or bent upon itself into an approximate U shapeand provided at its opposite ends with integral terminal securingtongues6, which extend through the latch opening or slot 3 of the base-plateand are bent down upon the upper side of the baseplate to provide forfastening the guard 5 to the latter without the use of rivets or pins ofany character, it being' obvious that by prying up or straightening theterminal tongues 6 the guard 5 may be readily disconnected from thebase-plate carrying the salne.

The latch-opening 3 of the base-plate and the latch-guard 5 looselyreceive therein the pivotal latch piece or member 7. The latch piece ormember 7 of the catch is formed of a single piece of metal and isprovided with a pendent catclrarin 8, which is loosely inserted throughthe opening 3 and works within the pendent guard 5, and said catch-armpor* tion of the latch-piece is formed at its lower end with a beveledcatch-hook 9,adapted 'to automatically engage with an escutcheon plateor keeper 10, fitted to the edge of the case or box over which the panelor lid carrying the catch works. At the edge opposite the shoulder ofthe hook 9 the pendent catch-arm 8 of the latch-piece is formed with astop-shoulder 11, which engages with the under side of the base-plate atone end of the latch-opening therein to limit the oscillation of thelatchpiece in one direction when the hook thereof is being disengagedfrom the escutcheon. The portion of the latch-piece 7 lying above theplane of the base-plate is formed with a leverarm 12, disposed atapproximately right angles to the catch-arm S and formed at its outerend with an eye 13 for the usual pull cord or string 14, and at'itsopposite or inner end` the lever-arm 12 is'formed with an integralrounded fulcrum-linob 15, loosely engaging in the fulcrum-opening4 ofthe base-plate. The upper edge of the latch-piece is formed with anelongated shouldered projection 1G, loosely extending through alongitudinally-disposed slot 17, formed in the free end of a leaf-springor spring-plate 18, secured fast at one end by means of a single rivet19 to the upper side of the base-plate.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the single rivet19 serves to se- IOO cure the leaf-spring and the latch-piece in theirproper relative positions, and the said leaf-spring also serves to holdthe latclrpiece to the base-plate, so that such latch-piece may have afree pivotal movement Without the use of pintle-pins or other xedpivots, and when the leaf-sprin g is removed from the base-plate thelatch-piece is free to be readily disconnected from the base-plate.

Slight modifications of the catch may be resorted to, as illustrated inFigs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, in which figures of the drawings thebase-plate l is illustrated as having bent integrally therefrom at oneside of the latch-opening therein a pendent latch-guard 20, at one sideof which works the pendent catch-arm 8 of the latch-piece. In themodified construction in place of the fulcrum-opening and fulcrum-knobloosely working therein the latchpiece is provided at its inner edgewith a pivot or fulcrum notch 2l, loosely engaging the baseplate at oneside of the latch-opening, so as to pivot thereon, and the lever-arm ofthe latch-piece is extended through the slot 17 of the leafspring, withthe extremity of the spring underlying the lever-arm 12 engaging ashoulder 22, formed by cutting a notch at the point of junction of thearms S and l2. This relative disposition of the latch-piece and theslotted spring 18 also provides means whereby such sprin g not onlyserves for normally holding the latch-piece in engagement with itskeeper or escutcheon, but also serves to hold the latch-piece pivotallyand removably in engagement with the base-plate supporting the same. Themodification just described also includes a headed stud or projection23, engaging with an opening 24 in the free end of the leaf-spring toprovide for securing such spring to the base-plate.

Other changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is-

l. A catch comprising a base-plate, a latch piece having a loose fulcrumengagement with an opening in the baseplate, and a spring secured at oneend to the base-plate and provided with a slot receiving therein aportion of the latch-piece to pivotally and removably hold the latter inplace, substantially as set forth.

2. A catch comprising a base-plate formed with a latch-opening, alatch-piece having a catch arm or hook loosely fitting in thelatchopening, a U-shaped latch-guard inclosing between its side armssaid catch arm or hook and having its terminals clenched Within thelatch-opening, and a leaf-spring secured fast at one end to thebase-plate and having its free end engaging with the latch-piece topivotally and removably hold the latter in place, substantially as setforth.

3. A catch comprising a base-plate formed with a latch-opening and asmaller fulcrumopening disposed in a line with and adjacent to thelatch-opening, a latch-piece having a catch arm or hook loosely fittingin the latchopening, and a lever-arm portion lying above the plane ofthe base-plate and disposed approximately at right angles to the catcharm or hook, said lever-arm portion being provided at its inner end witha round fulcrumknob loosely engaging in the fulcrum-opening, and at itsupper edge with an elongated shouldered projection, and a leaf-springsecured fast at one end to the base-plate and having alongitudinally-disposed slot engaging over the shouldered projection ofthe latch-piece, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI L. FLETCHER.

Witnesses:

J. F. Davis, CHAs. H. FoUTs.

